You may sound silly doing baby-talk, but always remember that you're making a huge difference on the life of your child.
Language nutrition, as neuroscientists believe, is just as important as physical nutrition and growth. A study conducted about 20 years ago dealt with its importance in every baby's life. The study conducted by University of Kansas researchers Todd Risley and Betty Hart showed that three-year-old children from well-to-do families have already heard more than 25 million words than those born in poor families. Exposure to language at an early age, meanwhile, is shown to be effective in training children how to be more focused and emotionally stable. By the time they are two years old, they can already process the words they hear.
Speaking with children on a daily basis can help improve not only their vocabulary but also their overall brain function.
Because of its significance, the state of Georgia is launching a massive campaign known as Talk with Me Baby. Health professionals including nurses will be trained how to perform a good baby-talk, in the hopes they will be equipped to teach the parents later on.
The state hopes that by 2015, every baby born in the state is already introduced into the language. Most of all, they hope that the program can be especially helpful to babies who are born in poor families. Georgia has one of the highest incidence rates of poverty, much higher than the national average. These babies may learn how to cope better in school as the program can enhance their reading levels.
In the said training, infants will learn speech or language on a more intimate platform: firsthand experience. This means that the interaction will be personal rather than listening to a DVD or watching a video.
The parents will learn how to stimulate conversation based on items that attract the child's attention and speak in a sing-song rhythm that seems to attract babies than regular speech.